Status of Federal Legislation that Impacts Life Issues
Make calls to demand that Federal funding of Planned
Parenthood be stopped
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your US Representative (select "By Zip+4" and enter your
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United States House of
Representatives
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Addresses for U.S. Congress
Roland Burris (202-224-2854) and Richard Durbin
(202-224-2152) (U.S. Senators for Illinois) can also be reached via the Capitol
switchboard at 1-202-224-3121 or by email using the United States Senate web site. In
Illinois, call Senator Roland Burris at (312) 886-3506 and Senator Richard Durbin at (312)
353-4952.
Legislative Action Center (For additional information on legislation)
President Obama can be reached via
the White House Comment Line at (202) 456-1111, or by email at comments@whitehouse.gov,
or by fax at 202-456-2461.
DISCLOSE Act (H.R. 5175 and S. 3295)
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the so-called "DISCLOSE
Act" on 220-207 vote. This legislation would place sweeping new
restrictions on the ability of incorporated groups, including pro-life organizations, to
communicate with the public about the actions of federal lawmakers. This bill is a
serious threat to First Amendment freedom of speech rights. Call your
Senators and ask them to oppose this bill.
Health Care
"Reform" Bill
SUMMARY: Strategy for passage of health care "reform"
ultimately led to a push for the House to pass the Senate bill (H.R. 3590) with no changes
and then use "reconciliation" to make some limited changes afterwards. Tragically,
H.R. 3590 was passed by the House of Representatives on 3/21/10 and has become law.
Also, use the following web sites to oppose health care
legislation: IFI,
NRLC, stoptheabortionmandate.com, freedom2care.org, and/or NCHLA.
Background information: Senator Harry Reid (on 11/18/09) unveiled his Senate
bill (H.R. 3590) that includes massive
abortion subsidies and mandates and health
care rationing. Even though it takes a different approach than the bill passed
by the House of Representatives (H.R. 3962), it does nothing to resolve the many concerns
about the anti-life direction of health care "reform" in Congress. With
Senate passage of H.R. 3590 on 12/24/09, the next step may be an attempt to get H.R. 3590
passed in the House since it appears no conference committee will be used to resolve
differences between the two bills to create a final bill that could be voted on by both
the House and Senate.
With passage of a health care "reform" bill by both the House
(H.R. 3962) and the Senate (H.R. 3590), the differences between these two bills were
expected to be resolved by creating a final bill that would be voted on by both the House
and Senate. Since the Senate bill provides government funding of abortion, which is
supported by the Obama administration and leaders of Congress, it was expected that the
final bill would be closer to the Senate bill than the House bill, which included the
Stupak Amendment to prevent government funding of abortion. However, even with the
Stupak Amendment, at this point any final bill would amount to a Federal Government
takeover of health care.
The current attempt in Congress to reform health care amounts to a
government takeover of the health care system. These bills to "reform"
health care are not an effective solution. They will create many more problems than
they will solve including: higher costs, lower quality, fewer options, rationing of
service, encouraging euthanasia and assisted suicide, funding abortion, etc.
Any reforms must never include government control of the health care
system. The current approach for health care being crafted by Congress is totally
unacceptable. By funding
abortion coverage and restricting care options for the elderly and disabled, there is
blatant disrespect for life of our most vulnerable citizens. Get even more details
here:
Review the "final" House bill (H.R. 3962), named "Affordable Health Care for
America Act". This massive 1990-page health care bill was amended with the
Stupak Amendment to prevent government-funded abortion, but has a potential
physician-assisted suicide loophole. H.R. 3962 still contains many of the issues
revealed in an analysis of the earlier House bill (H.R. 3200) that can be found
here:
Prevention First Act (S. 21 and H.R. 463)
The title sounds so good. How could
"prevention first" be a negative thing? Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
is the lead sponsor of S. 21, called
the Prevention First Act. What will be prevented and how much will it cost? As
usual, the claimed intent is to prevent "unwanted pregnancies." How might
the provisions of S. 21 achieve such a result? First, the bill would prohibit
health insurance plans from excluding coverage for birth control drugs and devices. Even
people who do not want or need such "coverage" would be forced to pay for it.
Hospitals that receive any federal funds would be forced to dispence the
morning-after pill (Plan B), which can sometimes cause an abortion, to women who indicate
they have been raped. This provision would force hospitals opposed to abortion to
become involved in practicing at least one form of abortion. Will such a requirement
really help women who have been raped? Why does S. 21 promote use of the drug for
women who have been victims of sexual assault without providing them with tangible
help? Though the bill requires offering Plan B, it has no reporting requirement in
place for young girls who may have been victims of abuse or rape.
Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business and the likely
recipient of the bulk of the funding, praised the introduction of the bill in a press
release. S. 21's provisions for expansion of Medicaid funding for "family
planning services" and to award grants for "teenage pregnancy prevention
programs" and "teenage pregnancy prevention research" put dollar signs in
the eyes of Planned Parenthood's leaders.
Planned Parenthood certainly has no interest
in truly helping young women who have been sexually assaulted, as demonstrated by their
consistent failure to comply with mandated reporting and parental involvement laws.
How can Planned Parenthood's ongoing encouragement of casual sex prevent teen
pregnancy? Such grants would amount to giving them more money to "solve"
the problem they are creating. With no accountability for results, their Federal
funding just keeps rising. Ask Senators Durbin and Burris to vote NO on S.
21, and ask your Representative to vote NO on H.R. 463.
Pregnant Women
Support Act (H.R. 2035 and S. 1032)
The Pregnant Women Support Act (H.R. 2035 and S. 1032) has been introduced. While this bill is
not likely to reduce unwanted pregnancies, it will reduce abortions by offering real
support and choices to those mothers. Ask your
Congressman and Senators Durbin and Burris to vote YES on the Pregnant Women Support
Act (H.R. 2035 and S. 1032).
Title X
Abortion Provider Prohibition Act (H.R. 614) and
Title X Family Planning Act (S. 85) (see also next item
below)
Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act (HR 614) and Title X Family
Planning Act (S. 85) would amend Title X of the Public Health Service Act to prohibit
family planning grants from being awarded to any entity that performs abortions.
These bills are sponsored by Congressman
Mike Pence and Senator David Vitter
respectively. All U.S. Representatives and Senators need to hear from
constituents who are opposed to continued Federal funding of Planned Parenthood.
Please call now and ask for a YES votes on H.R. 614 (Representatives) and S. 85
(Senators).
Responsible Education About
Life Act (H.R. 1551and S. 611)
H.R.
1551 and S. 611 would
fund so-called comprehensive sex education programs that feature mostly contraceptive
education and very little in the way of
abstinence promotion. All U.S. Representatives and Senators need to hear
from constituents who are opposed to more Federal funding of Planned Parenthood for
ineffective sex education. Please call now and ask for a NO votes on H.R. 1551
(Representatives) and S. 611 (Senators).
Urge senators to oppose CEDAW
The U.S. Senate could vote on whether to ratify a treaty called the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
Some international bodies have interpreted this treaty to prohibit any limitations on
abortion. U.S. ratification of CEDAW could have serious impacts on state and federal
laws limiting abortions because the treaty has already been construed to condemn virtually
all limits on abortion by the U.N. committee that is charged with enforcing it, by the
European Parliament, and by pro-abortion litigating groups.
What is CEDAW? CEDAW is a treaty that was adopted
by the U.N. General Assembly in 1979. Since then it has been ratified by 185
nations, but never by the United States. President Jimmy Carter signed the treaty
and sent it to the Senate in 1980, but the Senate has never voted on whether to ratify it
– in part because of serious questions about the impact it could have in many areas
of U.S. law, including laws pertaining to abortion. Although the CEDAW does not
mention the word “abortion,” Article 12 does require signing nations to
“eliminate discrimination against women in the field of health care in order to
ensure, on a basis of equality between men and women, access to health care services,
including those related to family planning.” Since about 1995, Article 12 and
other provisions have been creatively interpreted by official bodies, ranging from the
European Parliament to the UN CEDAW Committee, to condemn limitations on abortion, on
grounds that any restrictions on abortion constitute discrimination against women.
Urge senators to
oppose Convention on the Rights of the Child
The U.S. Senate could vote on whether to ratify a treaty called the
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). This treaty poses serious threats to
parental authority and has even been used to support abortion rights. Get more details.
Send a
red letter to and pray for President Obama
One way you can express your concern to President Barack Obama about his
promotion of abortion is called The Red Envelope Project. Since
so many people are expressing the need to pray for the conversion of President Obama to
defend human life, I would suggest adding another sentence to the sample message to be
placed on the back of the envelope as follows:
I am praying that you will provide hope and change for the unborn.
OR I am praying for
you that you will recognize the need to defend human life from conception to natural
death.
I am sure there are many other variations that could be used, but I think
telling him that he is being prayed for should be part of the message. Of
course, then take action, and regularly pray for his conversion!
Help stop the so-called
Freedom of Choice Act. Take action at Fight FOCA and What
the FOCA. (not yet formally introduced for 2009) |